A Holiday to Remember
by ShadeDancer
Summary: A holiday prank set up by Harry has an interesting consequence. Slash and a twisted holiday song.
1. A Christmas Prank

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. I adopted and twisted this idea from a bunny left on the plotbunnies yahoo group. Right now it's just a one-shot, but I might be tempted to write a sequel. Mild Slash and a warped Xmas song included.

_ShadeDancer_

Chapter 1: A Christmas Prank

"There," Harry announced, as he stood back to examine his handiwork.

It was late Christmas Eve, everyone already securely in bed, and Harry had decided that a bit of a Yuletide prank was in order. He had just spent the past hour securing enchanted mistletoe in strategic spots all over the school. Anyone who ended up under the mistletoe would be unable to move or use magic to free themselves until someone kissed them, and Harry had just finished securing the last piece over the front doors of Hogwarts. Tomorrow was going to be quite interesting because not only had the whole school remained behind due to the threat of Voldemort, but no one would be able to remove the mistletoe but Harry himself. It was a prank worthy of any Marauder and Harry had a list of the people in the castle that he couldn't wait to see get caught by the enchanted plant. Snape currently held the first position on that list, after all there weren't many people who would be willing to kiss the nasty potions master in order to free him. Harry smirked; why, he himself might actually have to do the deed so that their Professor didn't remain entrapped for not even Dumbledore would be able to override the ancient power that wizard-grown mistletoe possessed. Humming a small holiday jingle under his breath, Harry headed off to bed with a smile on his face, eagerly anticipating the fiasco morning would bring.

… … … … …

Voldemort sat on his throne and pouted, it wasn't fair. Every Christmas brought the same thing. His followers had nice family gatherings and presents while he sat and brooded. Over the years he had forbidden his followers to have Christmas, their moping had annoyed him and he had killed at least two low level Death Eaters, or he had joined them in their festivities only to find they became too frightened to enjoy themselves. This year he decided to hole up in his fortress like Scrooge and mope. Oh sure, he got presents from his followers, and they were nice presents, everything a Dark Lord could ask for, but they were uninspired gifts. Even Santa was out to give him a miserable holiday, for if the jolly present giver ever did remember to stop by his fortress, it was to leave him heaps of coal and dragon dung; perhaps he shouldn't have held him under the cruciatus that one time during his first reign. Voldemort's thoughts began to spiral downward, it appeared he would never have a decent Christmas unless he went out and planned it for himself. Voldemort brought his fist down upon the arm of his throne, a twisted grin spreading across his face. That was it! He would throw himself his own Christmas party and get himself a gift, and he knew just what the perfect gift would be. Now he just needed to invite some party guests.

"Wormtail!" Voldemort screamed for the little rat he knew was sulking around somewhere close by; Wormtail always stayed far enough away to be out of the way of his rage, but close enough at hand to hear when called.

"Ye-y-yes m-master," Voldemort loved to hear the quaking fear in the rat's voice.

"Summon the troops," he commanded, "we're going to have a Christmas party, and the first item of business is presents."

Voldemort's deep laughter echoed throughout the empty hall as Wormtail scurried off to do his bidding, and had anyone remained to listen they would have heard Voldemort humming a twisted version of a Christmas carol under his breath.

By the time the first of the Death Eaters began to arrive, Voldemort's little humming had turned into full-blow song:

Deck Hogwarts with splashes of green  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
__Avada_ _Kedavra_ and watch them scream  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Don we now our Death Eater apparel  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Scaring children with our deadly carol  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Setting their homes blazing before us  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Their parents screaming the chorus  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Follow me now as I take my pleasure  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Blood and death is my treasure  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_The scent of decay as life passes  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_Enjoying the rape of lads and lasses  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_So now gather we all together  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh  
_To claim Hogwarts as ours forever  
_Cru-uuu-uuu-ci-o, oh oh-ohhhh-ohhh…_

Exchanging nervous looks, the Death Eaters clustered together in their ranks and awaited their orders. For some reason they knew this was going to be a Christmas they would never forget.

… … … … …

As usual for a Christmas morning, everyone was up well before their normal hour, loudly exclaiming over the presents they had at the foot of their bed. Joining in the joy that permeated the tower, Harry was glad that the grin across his face could be excused as Christmas cheer instead of the anticipation it really was. It was so hard to wait for everyone to finish opening their presents and to stash things up in their dorms so that they could head out to breakfast as one big, happy group. Hermione, being the most organized and practical, was the first one ready and out the portrait hole. It took her a moment to realize that she was stuck, but then her lungs started to work at top volume as she demanded that someone free her, citing all the while that it was mistreatment of a prefect and that she was going to report whoever was responsible. Carefully Harry slipped around Hermione until he stood in front of her, Ron at his side; thankfully the mistletoe could only ensnare one person at a time.

"I don't know what's holding you here," Harry stated innocently, waving his wand and performing a few detection spells for appearance.

"I do," Ron breathed dumbly, staring up, "that's mistletoe. You can't get free until someone kisses you."

"Then get me free already," Hermione demanded, Harry was sure she wasn't really thinking about what she was saying, "I have to report this. What are you waiting for?"

"Sorry Hermione," Harry said, "but you're too much like a sister for me to kiss. I'm sure Ron will do it though."

Ron turned tail and ran, leaving Hermione to start ranting again. Deciding that Ron had the right idea, Harry followed after the youngest Weasley male, calling back to Hermione that he would inform a teacher of her predicament and send Ron back to free her in a bit. It was probably a very good thing that Hermione couldn't move, or Harry would have been ducking curses as he left. Carefully the rest of Gryffindor tower followed Harry's lead, shying away from the incensed Hermione Granger and her screeching tones. Harry glanced back one last time before heading down to the floor below, only to gag at what he saw. Dennis Creevey was kissing Hermione. He could only hope they both got caught separately in one of the other mistletoe traps, he wasn't ready to face Hermione's ire until she cooled down a bit—not that getting caught in another trap would help Hermione's temper any, but it would give him a bit of time to get away.

At this thought, Harry picked up the pace and turned a few rapid corners and headed down a few flights of stairs, always watching out for the mistletoe hotspots so that he didn't get caught—there were just too many rabid fan girls after him this season for his comfort and he wouldn't want to be touched by over half of them, let alone kissed. He also wanted to make sure he was free when Professor Snape finally got caught; there was no way the potions master would avoid the traps even if he had to enchant mistletoe to follow the acerbic man around. Another corner turned brought Harry into sight of the second runner up—Draco Malfoy. This was just too good to pass up.

"Looks like the Prince of Snakes has been caught," Harry mused, circling around the handsome blond, "if you want I bet I could find Pansy to come free you?"

Draco's eyes widened in horror, "no, not Pansy, anyone but her. Find Blaise or Theodore, I'd even take Crabbe or Goyle. Bloody hell, I'd rather kiss Dumbledore than Pansy, at least he's a he."

Harry smirked, catching sight of something over Draco's shoulder, "too late, here comes Pansy now."

"Noooo," the moan was low and heartfelt, and Harry felt he had verbally taunted Draco enough.

Pretending to sigh, Harry moved so that his lips just hovered over Draco's, "I can't be that cruel, a straight guy being kissed by Pansy would be bad enough, but it would be a death sentence for the likes of us."

Slowly Harry brought his right hand up to cup the back of Draco's head, clenching his hand in the long blond tresses, reveling in the catch in Draco's breath. Tauntingly Harry brought his lips to just brush against Draco's, but not enough to undo the curse.

"Please," Harry didn't think he had ever heard anyone whimper just like Draco did in that moment.

With a groan Harry committed himself to finishing the kiss, forcefully pressing his lips against Draco's parted ones. Quite enjoying himself, Harry nibbled on the Slytherin's lower lip before thrusting his tongue out to capture Draco's tongue. With a sparkling burst of fairy dust, the spell holding Draco in place shattered, but the blond didn't seem to realize as he groaned and poured just as much into the kiss as Harry was. Finally, a bit reluctantly, Harry pulled himself away from Draco's swollen lips; Draco had been a bonus, but he wasn't the prize.

"Thanks Malfoy," Harry let a seductive smile cross his lips, "that was nice, but now I think Pansy's waiting for you."

With a little wave, Harry continued on towards the Great Hall, leaving the two stunned Slytherins behind.

… … … … …

They approached the front doors of the Great Hall undetected and unmolested, the inhabitants of the castle having foolishly let their guard down for the day of merrymaking. Voldemort was in great spirits by now and began what would be his fifth or sixth time singing his twisted little version of Deck Hogwarts, when he threw open the doors to the school with a burst of power. Already he could hear the screams of the few students already making their way to the Great Hall for breakfast and it warmed his icy little heart. Triumphant, Voldemort mounted the steps to the school, prepared to walk straight in and claim the school and present to himself the greatest Christmas gift ever only to realize that he couldn't move. His song died in his throat, and though he couldn't see them, he could hear the sounds of his Death Eaters panicking behind him. He knew the exact moment that they fled and vowed that when he got free he would personally punish every single one of them. In a rage, Voldemort began to cast every spell he could think of to free himself only to find that none would work. Upon this realization he began to curse quite fluently and vulgarly, shocking and scaring the hell out of the few students still standing in the foyer, too stunned to move. It was the voice of one student that finally shut him up though.

"Well," Harry said, viewing the trapped Voldemort with amusement, "you certainly weren't who I expected to find there, though it looks like it was a good thing I did hang that piece of mistletoe where I did. So what brings you here Tom?"

"I'll kill you, you little son of a bitch," Voldemort screamed, "I swear I'll kill you, and then there will be no one to stand in my way."

Harry walked the last few steps it took to bring him near Voldemort, "such bold words for someone unable to move."

Voldemort's blue eyes, yes blue, flashed in anger as Harry walked around him, examining and looking every inch of him over. The boy was amused at his predicament, and while he cursed him for it, Voldemort couldn't really blame him. He would have found amusement in the situation if it had been anyone but himself caught in the trap.

"Oh you have changed," Harry was standing in front of him again, "blue eyes; a thick, dark head of hair; you're not skin and bones or quite so pasty anymore either. Looks like those rituals paid off after all. I can see the charismatic man that lured the Death Eaters to follow him in the first war."

Voldemort would have retorted, but Dumbledore decided to arrive at that moment and break up their tête-à-tête.

"Quick, Harry," Dumbledore ordered, "finish him off while you can."

Something flashed dark in Harry's green eyes, something only Voldemort could see before they went curiously blank. Voldemort felt Harry's wand run along his jaw.

"I could kill you," Harry confided so that all could hear, "but I won't, not while you're helpless like this. That is not the kind of person I am. When we meet, and we will meet again, it will be honorable and upon a field of battle. Then, if I must kill you, I will do so, but not like this."

The fire built back up in Harry's eyes as he rose up on his toes, hand sliding to the back of Voldemort's head as he pressed their lips together. The kiss was fury, passion, and magic. It was fierce, possessive, full of promise, and altogether too short. Breaking the kiss, Harry stepped back, looking like an elfin angel while fairy dust rained around him as he briefly raised two fingers to his lips.

"Merry Christmas, Tom Riddle," Harry said, a curious note in his voice, before the front doors of Hogwarts slammed shut and Voldemort found himself forcefully evicted from the grounds by an unseen power.

Left sitting on his ass somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, Tom brought his fingers up to touch his lips. Merry Christmas indeed.

* * *

Posted On: December 24, 2005


	2. Dilemma

This was originally only supposed to be a one-shot, but the bunny just wouldn't leave it there. I don't intend for this to be a long story, another few chapters at most, and it will give me the break I need before I get back to my other stories. Voldemort's POV isn't as long as it could be, but I wanted to get Snape time in.

_ShadeDancer_

Chapter 2: Dilemma

Harry stood staring at the closed doors in front of him, resisting the urge to bring his fingers up to touch his lips again. He had certainly been amused to find Voldemort caught under the mistletoe, but he also hadn't known what he was going to do with the Dark Lord. Kissing Tom certainly hadn't been the first thing on his mind, hell, it hadn't even been the last. The idea of kissing Tom hadn't existed in his mind at all until Dumbledore had told him to finish Tom off. Come to think of it, when had he started thinking of Voldemort as Tom, at least like he was now, without being mocking.

"Harry!" Dumbledore was at his side now, clearly upset and a bit pissed off, "what were you thinking? You let him get away! You know your duty in this war and you just failed it. Didn't you even think about your parents? Voldemort murdered them!"

Harry tensed, knew his eyes had gone hard and cold, "he was helpless like that. There was no way I could have killed him then and been able to justify it and the Ministry would never have been able to hold him. You may justify murder, but I don't. If you want someone killed in cold blood, then do it yourself, don't command me to do it. And don't you dare bring my parents into this. I know Voldemort murdered them, but I can also guess that they would never want me to murder in cold blood. I've heard enough stories of them to know that much."

Not giving Dumbledore another chance to speak, Harry left the entrance hall and the gaping crowd that had gathered; he just didn't want to deal with any of this right now. As he walked, ignoring Dumbledore's angry shouts from behind him, Harry's ire softened and his confused bemusement returned to haunt him. He had kissed Tom—Voldemort—had kissed the man who had murdered his parents and other innocent people, and he had enjoyed it. Tom had returned the kiss, for however briefly, as well. Harry had been becoming disillusioned about the goals and reasoning of the 'light' side for ages, but had never imagined that his confusion on this war would lead to him kissing the man who was his enemy just because he had been ordered to do something that went against his morals. That brought him back to the first problem, the only problem in his mind, all over again—he had kissed Voldemort. Or should it be Tom now? He did look more like a Tom than a Voldemort with those expressive blue eyes that most would think completely emotionless and that thick head of hair; Harry had a hard time connecting the man he had seen with the evil he was supposed to destroy.

Harry was so lost in these thoughts that he almost passed Professor Snape. It was with mixed feelings that Harry viewed the mistletoe-trapped potions master. This is what he had been hoping for, the reason he had set up the prank in the first place, but right now it seemed a hollow victory. Mentally shrugging and realizing that he had nothing to lose for trying, Harry rose so that he could access Snape's lips, effectively halting whatever tirade the Professor had been spouting mere seconds ago. This kiss Harry made soft, tender, a seeking request that Snape surprisingly opened to and returned. The kiss was everything Harry had expected it to be even though his original fantasy had been something fierce and passionate, a kiss in which they tried to dominate each other similar to the battles of their verbal exchanges. Slowly, together, the two broke off the kiss, Harry vaguely noting the shimmering fairy dust coating them.

"Merry Christmas, sir," Harry said quietly before continuing on in the direction he had previously been heading, leaving his stunned and speechless Professor to stand and gape after him.

That had been at least two hours ago, and Harry was still mulling things over. This kiss with Draco had been filled with adolescent passion, Harry dominating while Draco gave a token fight before surrendering. The kiss with Tom had been altogether different. While at the time he had been in charge, Harry knew that if Tom hadn't been held by the spell that Tom would have dominated him, or at least given him a battle. But then, if Tom hadn't been held by the spell then they would have never kissed, they would have been too busy trying to kill each other once again. There was also the kiss with Snape. Seeing the Professor there, Harry had realized that it was a soft kiss that was right, and it had been. Until that moment he had never visualized anything tender about the sarcastic potions master, but now Harry couldn't imagine the man kissing any other way.

Harry shook his head as if to clear it, and promptly found himself batting away fairy dust. Now that was another puzzlement, but one that he might actually be able to solve. When Colin had freed Hermione, there hadn't been any fairy dust, and Harry had seen a few other couples be freed from the spell without any fairy dust raining around them. Ernie and Hannah on the other hand had been showered in silver dust like he had been when he kissed Draco. Yet when he kissed both Tom and Snape the dust had been golden, he hadn't seen that happen for anyone else. He would have to go to the library and look up mistletoe and see if he could discover anything about it beyond the fact that stepping under it froze you in place until someone kissed you free.

"Harry!" the call had Harry turning to see both Hermione and Ron heading rapidly down the hall toward him; he was slightly amused to see that they were watching the ceiling for mistletoe.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, "We've been looking for you for hours. We got down to the hall and heard something about you and Voldemort. We knew you hadn't been taken, but no one else seemed to be able to make sense in what they were saying on what had happened. The people who had been there are all flustered and out of sorts. Even Dumbledore looks upset. What happened?"

Ron on the other hand was gaping at Harry, "you're covered in dust."

Harry decided that addressing Ron would be easiest, "yeah, I should probably go shower it off."

"But that's mistletoe dust," Ron stated, "both silver and gold."

Harry suddenly felt excited foreboding run through his body, "yeah, what about it?"

"You don't know?" Ron gaped again as both Harry and Hermione stared at him blankly, waiting for an explanation, "If you kiss someone under the mistletoe and you get covered in silver dust that means you could possibly make a good match, at least physically. Gold means a soulmate. Hannah and Ernie got silver dust, and I saw Malfoy earlier walking around covered in silver, maybe Pansy kissed him."

It was Harry's turn to gape before he turned and began to bang his head against the wall a few times, "I'm starting to regret pulling this prank. Why couldn't Draco had been gold, it would have been so much simpler."

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione was appalled, "You are the one who set this all up?"

Harry nodded, not caring that Hermione was about to start in on him, but Ron had picked up on the Draco comment.

"You kissed Malfoy?" Ron demanded, about ready to faint, "He was the silver! And you want him to be the gold! Who the hell was the gold dust?"

Hermione had stopped her rant on rule breaking and pulling pranks as Ron managed to successfully distract her and was looking at Harry oddly, "I saw a couple people covered in gold, Dean and Seamus are, but only Professor Snape didn't have anyone to match up with him."

Now Ron really was about to faint, his voice weak and croaky, "Snape's the gold?"

Miserable in his confusion Harry nodded, "it would have been so much easier if it had been just him."

Ron sagged weakly against the wall, "just him? How many people did you kiss?"

Harry couldn't help but smile at the thought of his kisses, even though the emotions they sparked were putting him through the wringer, "just three."

Hermione waved this off as she got herself back on track, obviously no longer interested in who Harry had kissed, "we can finish talking about that later. What happened with Voldemort? Is he going to attack? Do we need to gather the D.A.?"

Harry gave a short bark of laughter, deciding that he might as well drop the bombshell, "Voldemort already attacked."

Hermione was horrified, "and we missed it? What happened? Are you alright? How did you drive him away?"

It was all Harry could do not to start laughing hysterically, "Voldemort got caught under the mistletoe at the front doors and I kissed him."

Ron finally succeeded in fainting. Hermione's dazed mind on the other hand connected Voldemort with the third person Harry had kissed and the second person to trigger the gold dust. For a moment she could only stare at him in shock, confusion, and perhaps a little bit of hurt, before turning and running away down the hall. Looking down at Ron lying passed out on the floor, Harry shook his head and decided to leave him there.

"Sorry mate," he whispered before setting out in the opposite direction of Hermione, hoping to find peace deeper in the dungeons.

… … … … …

"_Crucio_," Voldemort shouted the curse, albeit half-heartedly; his mind was still on the events of that morning.

Potter had kissed him. Potter had kissed him, spared his life, and he had kissed the brat back. They were enemies, destined to kill each other. He had enjoyed it. They had enjoyed it. He still couldn't get the image of Potter standing there, two fingers to his lip as fairy dust rained around them both. Gold dust. Voldemort knew what that meant and cursed the knowledge even as it caused him a thrill. Idly Voldemort rubbed a bit of the gold dust between his long, supple fingers. Well, he couldn't very well kill the brat now. Actually, he could, but one just did not kill a soulmate. The next crucio was more forceful then the one before it as he tried to banish his confused emotions as he sent out the curse. It was quite a dilemma he was in.

… … … … …

Severus frowned, but it wasn't the disapproving frown bestowed upon the dunderheads he was forced to teach, it was a frown of puzzlement and indecision. Potter had kissed him to free him from the mistletoe, him, the most despised teacher of Hogwarts. It had been gentle, had drawn him in so that he had kissed back, tentatively wrapping his tongue around Potter's. He had known the instant that the spelling holding him had broken, but he hadn't stopped the kiss. He didn't want to admit it, wouldn't dare admit it to himself past this moment, but he had enjoyed it. He had enjoyed kissing Potter. And then they had been showered in fairy dust—gold fairy dust. Severus let his head thunk onto his hardwood desk in frustration. Potter was his soulmate and he had spent years tormenting and torturing the boy for amusement. Potter was also two decades younger than him. He had probably only kissed him to taunt him. But he could have taunted him enough by leaving him stuck under the mistletoe, he didn't have to kiss him, didn't have to free him.

It was enough to make him scream in frustration, his thoughts were getting him no where. Perhaps a walk around the dungeon would cool him down. If he was lucky he might even find some wayward student to breath down upon and torment. Yes, giving out detentions would surely cure his mood, and with all the mistletoe hanging around it wouldn't be a problem to find someone to clean out his storage closets. Come to think about it, he had a bunch of encrusted cauldrons that could do with a good scrubbing. Feeling a bit more cheerful after pushing his dilemma into the back of his mind, Severus headed for his office door and out into the dungeons, daring to sing a few lines of a song because he was sure he was completely alone this deep in the dungeons.

"_You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch_," he chuckled on a growl, "_You really are a heel. You're as cuddly as a cactus…_"

Severus found himself trailing off, suddenly no longer finding pleasure in what had to be his favorite Christmas time song. He knew some of the muggleborn students often referred to him as the Grinch because how well he fit the song, but if that was true, then why had Potter kissed him. He really was as cuddly as a cactus, so why had Potter kissed him. And Potter had acted so odd after doing so, there hadn't been any taunting now that he replayed the moment in his mind. Potter had almost seemed lost, confused. He had even wished him a Merry Christmas and seemed sincere, if not a bit distracted, about it. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to do a little spying on Potter, pay a bit more attention to the gossip surrounding the boy to discover what was going on. Merlin help Potter if he had only kissed him to make him the butt of a joke though, he would see the boy scrubbing cauldrons and dissecting putrid toads for the rest of his academic career. He…

"Hello Professor," the soft voice drew him up short, cutting off his mental tirade; he knew that voice and recognized the resigned face that went with it.

"Potter," for once Severus couldn't seem to inject his usual disdain into his voice as he glanced upon Harry's face, "I think you and I need to talk."

"Yes," Harry agreed, and Severus saw none of the youthful rebellion that Potter usually presented him with, "perhaps then I will find an answer to this mess."

Unwillingly Severus felt his heart sink at Harry's ominous words. The way Potter talked, things were more complicated then just the two of them being soulmates and loathing each other. They did still loathe each other, didn't they?

* * *

Posted On: December 28, 2005


	3. The Gift

This has definitely gone beyond a one-shot and sequelnow, though it won't be novel length when it's done. Shouldn't be too much longer and then I'll get back to working on my other stories.

_ShadeDancer_

Chapter 3: The Gift

Severus Snape was a dead man. Harry Potter was his soulmate. Harry Potter was also the soulmate of Lord Voldemort, his master. Oh yes, Severus knew he was dead the moment Voldemort discovered this little bit of information, and it wouldn't take long after the hot-headed Weasel woke up for all the little Death Eater wannabe's to learn about Harry's soulmates. In fact, they probably already knew. Which meant Voldemort knew. Severus was most certainly a dead man. But that didn't stop him from crouching in front of Harry and hesitantly placing their lips together as if to make sure the whole thing wasn't a dream. If he was going to die, he might as well die happy. They broke off the kiss, both unsure of what to do next.

"Professor Sn—Severus," Harry corrected, out of sorts at referring to his soulmate by his given name instead of title, "what are we going to do? When I had set this all up, I had no idea…I didn't plan for anything like this to happen!"

"I don't know Harry," somehow Severus managed to respond calmly, "I don't know what we are going to do. I'm afraid it's something that you'll have to work out on your own, though I will be here to answer any questions you have. I just hope we have enough time to figure something out before the Dark Lord discovers our bond. He doesn't like to share what is his, and you most certainly are his now. Your father would certainly be rolling in his grave if he knew what was going on right now."

A deep hurt filled Harry's eyes at these last words and Severus suddenly realized that he had made it sound like he would give Harry up to Voldemort, wouldn't fight to keep him, and he had brought James Potter in between them again. A single tear spilled from Harry's glistening emerald eyes and splashed into the open palm Severus had raised pleadingly towards Harry the moment he realized his mistake. But Harry gave him no time to rectify his blunder, gave him no time to blunt words uttered unconsciously in this alien territory. Harry fled, and Severus would have gone after him, but he was transfixed by the single perfect tear that had hardened the moment it touched his palm. What magic was this?

… … … … …

Angrily Harry kicked a stone into the lake, not feeling sorry at all when the Giant Squid made a pained noise. They were soulmates, but Severus didn't want him. He obviously wasn't worth enough in Severus' eyes, but the kisses…no! He wouldn't think of them, couldn't think of them. It had all been Severus toying with him, taking twisted revenge upon the son of James Potter. And Harry had let him, had given him the ammunition needed, had opened himself up to the hurt. He had thought Severus might have actually seen him for once, not his father, but him. It appeared he had been wrong.

After fleeing Severus' rooms he had instinctively sought out Ron and Hermione only to be repulsed by their glares (Ron), and hurt looks (Hermione); Ron had even gone as far to hiss something about him being a filthy Death Eater. Dumbledore was pissed at him as well, glaring at him in disappointment and disgust. Many in the school were looking at him oddly, not knowing how to treat him as the news slowly beginning to spread through the Hogwart's grapevine. Even the Slytherin's seemed not to know how to treat him. They waivered between their usual animosity and a respect akin to fear. Many of them would follow Voldemort when they were old enough to take the mark, and he was their prospective master's soulmate. It went against their nature to be civil to him, but to antagonize them could also mean the wrath of the Dark Lord upon their heads. Harry wasn't even sure how Voldemort was dealing with all of this, he had no doubt Tom knew the significance of the fairy dust, their link was firmly closed off.

It was well after dark when Harry finally stopped kicking stones into the lake, the Squid having long retreated to the far shore to hide in deeper water, and his heart broke. Severus hadn't come out for him, no one had come. It seemed that no one cared. These thoughts were Harry's haunting company as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower, running into no one, not even Filch. He was hoping to be able to slip up silently to his dorm, no one would likely be awake this late in the Tower, but it appeared all of the Gryffindor sixth-years had decided to have a late night gossip session centered on him.

"What are you doing here," Harry had never heard such hate in the voice of any Gryffindor when it was directed at him, not even when he had caused them to lose over a hundred points in a day, "get out of here. You're not welcome."

Harry was too tired to care at that point, emotional exhaustion having taken its toll, and attempted to avoid the confrontation by heading up to his dorm. He hadn't counted on his dorm mates to stand in his way. Ron, Dean, Seamus, even Neville blocked his way, their faces set in glares of disgust. For a moment he was almost surprised until he realized that each had a reason for standing there. Ron stood there out of bigotry, Dean and Seamus were half-bloods and therefore a possible target of Voldemort, and because of Voldemort's followers Neville's parents were insane. They believed that he had betrayed them, when they were really the ones betraying him.

"Move out of my way," Harry's voice was weary, he didn't want a confrontation right now.

"No," it was Neville who spoke up, and Harry was shocked to see actual hatred in his eyes.

"I don't want to deal with this now," it took all Harry's willpower not to go for his wand considering he was faced with at least four in front of him and could sense more pointed at his back.

"Don't want to deal with what?" This time it was Ron who spoke, "The fact that you betrayed us all, or the fact that you're soulmates with you-know-who and let him escape today so he could kill more innocent people?"

"Would you have me stoop to his level, murder in cold blood," Harry's voice was near breaking, "would you have me become like him?"

"You already are like him," Hermione had joined the fray, tears shimmering in her eyes even as she stood against him, "I just don't know how I've missed it all these years."

"Is this what our friendship means to you," Harry's shoulders slumped in desolation, "I would lay my life down for yours, have laid my life down for yours, and you compare me to Voldemort."

"We could never be friends with the likes of you," Ron spat, various agreements ringing out from all over the common room, "you are you-know-who's whore! Even Dumbledore sees it now."

Harry's breaking heart finally shattered and memories began to consume him as if someone had let a dementor loose in side his head.

_His aunt shrieking at him in laughter when he asked if she loved him, "Freak…who could ever love a freak like you…"_

_Malfoy sneering at him superiorly_, "_Bet you loved that, eh, Potter…"_

_Ron's face red with rage, "I'll let you get on with practicing for your next interview in peace…"_

_Hermione holding him after a vision as his body trembled, "I'll always be here for you Harry…"_

_Severus' kisses, "we're soulmates, bound to each other now…Your father would certainly be rolling in his grave…you most certainly are his now…we're soulmates…you most certainly are his now…his now…"_

Countless other incidents ran through his head; Dudley punching on him, Vernon kicking him in the ribs and mocking him for being weak, the fearful looks when everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin…His confrontations with Voldemort. Unbidden a phrase surfaced in his mind.

"_There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it…"_

Harry was tired of being weak, sick of being betrayed, one minute thought of as righteous and good before being turned on for being evil in the next. Voldemort had never lied to him, had never tried to hide the fact that Harry would either join him or die. Voldemort was his soulmate, and if he still wished to kill him, then at least Harry would die knowing that these fools had bought their own fate by betraying him. Harry's body began to tremble, his eyes glowing an unearthly green as he finally stopped hiding in fear from himself.

"_Power_," the word was a soft whisper, but everyone in the room heard it as it escaped Harry's lips "_that is what I possess and you lack. You have sealed your own fate. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak and cowardly to seek it…"_

Wind whipped up unseen around Harry, pushing back the others in the room, flinging spells back at their caster as Harry's belongings rushed down the stairs towards him, drawn by the surging power. A loud crack thundered throughout the room and for a moment everyone in the common room would have sworn the castle was cracking apart around them, but then the wind died down and peace reigned. Harry was gone, disproving Hermione's closely held to rule that apparition was impossible inside Hogwart's grounds. What disturbed them most though, was the mocking words of '_Merry Christmas'_ that Harry had uttered right before he had disappeared.

… … … … …

Voldemort leaned forward to claim what was his, a thrill running through him as he crushed the young lips beneath his own. He would have to call a Death Eater meeting soon, there was much to do. This most certainly had been the best Christmas ever, no gift would ever be able to top the one he had just received upon that last stroke of midnight.

* * *

Posted On: January 2, 2006


	4. Mine

For some reason I thought I had posted this the other day, _shakes head and hopes it doesn't fall off_, but I'm posting it now, so it's all good.

_ShadeDancer_

_Chapter 4_: Mine

Harry had been gone for two days, two heart wrenching days in which even the Slytherin's weren't safe from Severus' ire, before his dark mark began to burn and throb. It was the call Severus had both been anticipating and fearing, a call he wasn't sure he would have answered had Harry been safe within Hogwarts. But he had to go, had to see Harry, to make sure he was alright. The sixth-year Gryffindors were already paying dearly for what they had done. Severus used any little excuse to strip them of points down into the negative and had managed to get most of Harry's year mates into detention with either himself or Filch.

With hurried, jerky movements Severus yanked on his Death Eater robes and mask before hurrying outside of Hogwarts wards to apparate to his masters side, praying it wasn't the broken body of his soulmate he was being summoned to see. Harry might be Voldemort's soulmate as well, but that didn't necessarily guarantee Harry's safety from the Dark Lord. Why had the idiot boy gone to the Dark Lord? Why hadn't Harry come to him? He would have protected Harry with his life, sheltered him from the slander. Did Harry not feel the bond between them?

Severus apparated with a hurried crack, not bothering with silence this night, a vision of Harry looking up at him through tousled hair with a wicked light of defiance glittering in those perfect eyes filling his mind. When he arrived at Riddle Manor it nearly drew him up short to see those eyes cold and shuttered as he glanced upon Harry standing tall and proud beside Voldemort upon the dais the Dark Lord addressed them from. Seeing Harry standing there, completely at ease in battle robes of the finest cut, Severus could understand why people believed the hope of the war rested on those shoulders. What broke his heart though, was to see that coldness turned upon him with the same disdain that was gifted to every other Death Eater that crawled up to kiss Voldemort's robes. Was Harry actually going to forsake their newly budding bond that easily? If he was, Severus almost hoped that Voldemort intended to claim his life this night, for he knew that after those few sweet kissed he and Harry had shared that he would never be able to stand the desolation of an unfulfilled soulbond.

… … … … …

Even though Severus' face was carefully hidden behind his mask, Harry knew those black eyes were fixed on him and it made him slightly nervous for some reason. Even from the distance that now separated them, Harry could still smell the sweet aroma of herbs that clung to Severus when he hadn't come from just brewing some foul potion. Harry couldn't help but admire every line of the potion master's body, though the lines kept shifting as his robes did. Severus was like a black shadow, always shifting and moving even when absolutely still, form remaining undefined to sight. At least that's how he was to Harry and Harry was certain that no one else saw Severus in this way. They only saw the stillness, the carefully checked emotion, the danger, but then they weren't supposed to see anything else. Resolutely Harry pulled his eyes from Severus' form and continued his sweep over the amassing Death Eaters. It had been hard enough to convince Tom that Severus wasn't his soulmate and meant nothing to him, that the Slytherin's had only been passing on rumors that had been started by his ex-friends to slander him and paint him in an even blacker light. It hadn't been easy to convince Tom of this and seeming uncaring about Severus' life given their history and the fact that he was trying to save the 'greasy-git'. Sex had proved to be the perfect distraction and a few well made comments about losing an important spy had spared Severus.

"Don't be nervous, my wolfling," Tom drew Harry's attention back to him, "they will not dare raise a wand to you. I will not allow it and many of my Death Eaters are too fond of their lives to dare incur my wrath even if it would mean they got their chance to take a shot at you."

"I'm not nervous," Harry spoke softly in parseltongue, knowing it was more intimate and could only be understood by the two of them and Nagini, "they mean nothing to me, their power is nothing to mine and I would almost wish to see one of them dare try to harm me."

Tom laughed outright, causing many in the room to stiffen in surprise and flinch away in fear; the laugh wasn't full of Voldemort's insanity, but was an actual laugh of amusement. Harry too shuddered, but in desire as Tom ran a teasing hand down over his ass and flicked with a playful finger. Oh yes, Tom was a very passionate man and loved to tease Harry unmercifully in bed. This little meeting had taken two days to arrange mainly for the fact that the two of them had been too busy in bed to want to deal with business. Yet for all the pleasure and rightness, for Harry there was something missing as he howled his desire beneath Tom's body; Tom had started calling Harry his wolfling because of those howls. Ruthlessly Harry shoved that thought away, he couldn't afford to acknowledge anything was missing when he was in bed with Tom, not because of Tom's reaction, but because of how it affected him. It hurt every time he thought of how Severus had rejected him because the potion master knew Tom would lay claim to him; they could have worked something out—there was a good chance that Severus and Tom were soulmates as well—but Harry had decided that it would be easier to resign himself to a life without Severus, it was why he had left Hogwarts and came to Tom.

Tom's hand squeezed his ass lightly and Harry was glad for the robes he was wearing as he continued to harden. Fleetingly a smirk crossed his face as a plan formed in his mind—two could play at this game. With a sudden swift turn, Harry had Voldemort up against the wall at their back and began to savage the older man's mouth with a fierce passion, drawing blood as teeth battled and scraped at lip and tongue. Immediately spells flew at what the Death Eater's assumed to be Harry's unprotected back, thinking that he was attacking their master, but they met a barrier and fizzled away into nothing to the shock of their casters. With a satisfied smile, Harry lifted his lips from Tom's allowing the Death Eaters to see their Lord looking completely debauched from a simple kiss, lips swollen and hair mussed from Harry's gripping hands. If not for Tom's robes, they'd probably see his hard on as well. Looking out over the stunned Death Eater's, Harry thought he might have actually made one or two of them faint with that little display. It was Severus' reaction that affected him the most. He might not be able to see Severus' face beneath the mask, but he could feel the gaze and see the clenched fists. Harry didn't dare show the stab of longing and regret that went through him at this sight, Severus had been the one to give him up after all.

"You will pay for that later, little wolfling," Tom vowed with a glare that turned out more sultry then menacing and Harry smiled back, showing teeth.

"I do hope so."

If looks could kill, Severus' glare would have banished Voldemort once and for all.

… … … … …

Harry lay with the silk sheets twisted all about him, clinging uncomfortably to his sweaty skin as he lay panting. At that moment a shower would have been heaven, but moving wasn't an option—not only was he too tired and sore to move, but Tom was laying on top of him and had no intention of moving any time soon from what Harry could tell. Harry felt small kisses being trailed down his neck before Tom stopped at the indent at his shoulder to leave a very obvious claiming mark.

Moaning, Harry found the strength to push Tom off, "if you get hard one more time I'm going to know you're taking stimulant potions."

Tom fell to his side with a laugh, "I am not, it must be a side effect of the ritual used to fix my body and lack of sex over the years, but now that you mention it—"

"No!" Harry groaned at the thought of the already horny Tom becoming even hornier through potions, he wouldn't survive and teenagers were supposed to have amazing sexual stamina.

Tom gifted Harry with a feral grin and rolled back over him, "if you're so tired then just lay there, I'll do all the work…"

With a keening cry as Tom delivered upon his words, Harry surrendered to the fact that he would not be able to walk at all the next day and allowed Tom to have his wicked way with him. Maybe by the end of the night he would be so exhausted that he wouldn't have time to think about Severus at all, or wonder what it would be like if it was Severus stroking his long, talented fingers over his cock and balls—

"Merlin!" Harry cried out as Tom slammed into him, riding him hard almost as if he realized that Harry's mind had begun to wander away from him.

Harry could do little more than ride the domination out, knowing that it would be like this sometimes with Tom, but willing to endure it for the sake of the tenderness that would come afterwards. Harry had no more time to think of Severus after that, exhausted sleep finally claiming him as he and Tom spooned with Tom's cock still shoved tightly up his ass much to Harry's embarrassment, but the sense of incompleteness was still there inside Harry's soul.

… … … … …

Harry was looking less and less like himself as New Years drew closer. Did no one else see how tiredly he seemed to move, how his reflexes weren't as sharp? And the shine in his eyes, it was dulling. Yet Harry was good at putting up a façade and not even the Dark Lord seemed to be able to tell this. Of course the Dark Lord also didn't know how Harry acted most of the time, only really knew Harry from when they had faced off in battle. He didn't know that little gesture Harry did with his hair was a sign of weariness, didn't know how sneaky and quick-witted Harry could be when it came to a battle of words. Or perhaps he did know, perhaps he knew Harry was slowly failing and secretly rejoiced in it. The Dark Lord could possibly even be contributing to and encouraging the sickness that seemed to be overtaking Harry. It wasn't to be allowed. Harry needed someone to care for him, needed him. He would see to it that Harry got better; he would save Harry from the Dark Lord.

* * *

Posted On: January 10, 2006


	5. A New Year

Well, here's the next chapter for you along with a question. What do you guys want to happen next? I have a few different ideas swimming in my head and might end up writing different endings, but your opinions would be appreciated.

_ShadeDancer_

_Disclaimer_: I don't own Harry Potter and I don't own the song Auld Lang Syne, I don't think I even want to claim the twisted version below.

Chapter 5: A New Year

Harry shifted back into the shadows, the New Years revelry weighing upon him. There had been a raid earlier, one Harry had refused to participate in, and the success had boosted morale. Harry sneered at them for picking on defenseless muggles and frightened children. Surprisingly his disdain had actually generated some response, allowing Harry to begin convincing the Death Eaters that the people would better submit to the new rule they intended to impose if the people didn't fear torture and death. It would be pointless to overthrow the ministry and Dumbledore if they destroyed their world in the process, leaving those they would rule with only anger and thoughts of vengeance to urge them to continue. Of course, any more convincing would have to wait until another day seeing how every Death Eater in the Manor was currently drunk and singing their off-key version of Auld Lang Syne.

_Should auld corpses be forgot,  
And never brought to mind.  
Should auld corpses be forgot,  
And auld lang syne. _

For auld lang syne, my victim,  
For auld lang syne.  
We'll take a cup o' poison yet,  
For auld lang syne.

Harry wondered which Death Eater was responsible for the lyrics; his bet was on a very smashed Lucius. They really needed to work on this when they were actually sober.

_And surely you'll pay for your life,  
And surely I'll keep mine;  
And we'll drink a rich sip o' blood,  
For auld lang syne. _

For auld lang syne, my victim,  
For auld lang syne.  
We'll take a cup o' poison yet,  
For auld lang syne.

Even Tom was signing softly, a wine glass tilting slightly in his hand. It had surprised Harry to see Tom loosen up so much, but then a good shag in a dark corner was enough to make anyone happy.

_We'd have run about the graves,  
And taunted the reaper fine.  
But you've wandered the underworld far,  
Since auld lang syne. _

For auld lang syne, my victim,  
For auld lang syne.  
We'll take a cup o' poison yet,  
For auld lang syne.

He himself had drank a little too much and was beginning to feel drowsy, which was why he had retreated to the corner. Idly Harry listened to the words of the next verse, shaking his leaden head in disbelief at what the Death Eaters had come up with.

_We'd have thrust into your body  
From morning till night,  
__But aurors came and ended the fun.  
For auld lang syne _

For auld lang syne, my victim,  
For auld lang syne,  
We'll take a cup o' poison yet  
For auld lang syne.

Harry barely had the time to acknowledge that the alcohol shouldn't be effecting him this way before he began to fall, his legs giving out, strong arms catching him before he could hit the ground.

_And here's a knife my helpless victim,  
And I'll place it in your gut.  
And we'll take a cup o' poison yet,  
For auld lang syne. _

For auld lang syne, my victim,  
For auld lang syne.  
We'll take a cup o' poison yet,  
For auld lang syne…

Harry tried to tilt his head back to see who had him, but it seemed as if he was completely detached from himself, his body unwilling to cooperate with his fuzzed mind.

… … … … …

It had been all too easy, well not easy, but with cunning and a well laid plan everything had run like clockwork. He knew Harry would check his food and drink, had noticed the Gryffindor start the habit in his fifth year, and so had waited until the Dark Lord had distracted his young lover's attention away from his drink. Watching Voldemort take possession of Harry's lips and thrust against the slim body to make Harry moan had nearly been Severus' undoing, he had almost stolen Harry away then and would have most likely forfeited his life. He had never realized that having a soulmate would effect him so badly, perhaps if he had known he wouldn't have gotten himself stuck under the mistletoe when he realized Harry was coming down the hall. It had been a foolish impulse, but it had gotten him that heavenly kiss and so much more. Only he had blown it, but he was willing to set things right and save Harry from the Dark Lord. Cradling Harry against him, Severus activated the hardened tear he had charmed to be a portkey.

Normally portkeys wouldn't work from Riddle Manor, but the tear was Harry's and was saturated with his power, the strange power that was unlike that of other wizards and had allowed him to pass through Hogwarts wards.

Severus never saw the sharp eyes of his Master flash to them right before the portkey activated, never heard the scream of loss and rage that issued from Tom Riddle's throat as he realized what was happening. It was a scream that immediately sobered the festivities going on around him and rudely shocked the Death Eaters into a less inebriated state as they struggled to discover what had displeased their Lord and try to keep from being cursed for no apparent reason.

… … … … …

Harry couldn't sleep even though Severus' arms were wrapped protectively around him. It had been disorienting to wake up like this and after piecing together what must have happened Harry had almost considered slipping away from Severus and going back to Tom. But lying there had eased some of the constriction that had been banding about his chest for the past week. Harry knew this relaxed state wouldn't last though. Over the past few days he had done his research on soulmates and mistletoe-discovered soulmates and was now damning himself for ever pulling the prank.

Normally finding a soulmate didn't produce any problems as any bonds were dormant until specifically activated. When he had kissed Tom and Severus beneath the mistletoe it hadn't only alerted them to the fact that they were soulmates, but had activated the latent bonds between them. Even between soulmates these bonds weren't often activated due to the constant need to be in the presence of one's soulmate for the first few months. Thankfully the need would lessen overtime, but until then it was an intense pull, intense enough to make a person physically ill if separated from a soulmate for too long. The illness had affected Harry more quickly than was normal as well because his connection with Tom was amplifying the loss he was feeling from his bond with Severus. Harry cursed himself again for not researching more about the mistletoe.

Now, he needed to find a way to get both his soulmates to accept each other and their places in his life or they would all end up dead as the bonds frayed and eventually snapped. Once found and the bonds activated, soulmates could not survive without each other for long unless they had something to ground themselves with. The only instances ever recorded of a person living beyond the death of a soulmate had been when there were children involved, and then the survivor of the bond only lived long enough to see the children grown enough to be capable of taking care of themselves. The survivor was usually found to have committed suicide or just allowed themselves to fade away in order to join their soulbond in the next world. It wasn't a pretty thought to contemplate and Harry was already feeling stretched far too thin. It wouldn't be too long before movement became impossible for him, his ends of the bonds were deteriorating that fast, but he couldn't bring himself to move from Severus' arms. He was so comfortable here, even if he wasn't complete.

* * *

Posted On: January 18, 2006


	6. Squabbling

A bit shorter than I wanted, but I wanted to leave the rest of the ideas for an epilogue. Hopefully I'll have the epilogue out within the next few days, and you can thank Hoshi-tachi for both this chapter and the epilogue to come because without her I would still be trying to figure out how I wanted to write this.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, don't sue.

Chapter 6: Squabbling

Harry wasn't getting better. If anything he had gotten worse and Severus was worried; he was starting to think that the Dark Lord hadn't been responsible for Harry's deterioration, but something else. Severus' lowered a hand to brush gently across Harry's forehead, wincing at the fever he felt burning there. He had already checked Harry for the usual run of poisons and spells that could cause such a reaction, but had come up with nothing. Harry was actually ill, seriously so, and if it wouldn't mean their lives Severus would have bundled him away to St. Mungos already for treatment. As it was there wasn't much he could do but brew Harry fever-reducing potions that were proving useless and apply cool cloths all over his soulmate's flushed body. It was torture to watch Harry suffer so, but what was even worse was to hear Harry call out for Tom in the throws of his nightmarish fever. Severus probably would have killed himself had Harry not called out his name as well; as it was, he had no idea how to react to Harry calling for the both of them. Harry was his soulmate. His!

… … … … …

It had been three days since Severus had absconded away with Harry. Tom had to admit that his once-trusted potions master was good, very good, but yet he wasn't good enough. Tom could feel the soulbond stretching between himself and Harry and so Severus' precautions were only delaying the inevitable confrontation. Tom was getting worried though, even as the bond was telling him where his love was, he could sense that it getting weaker and was less substantial than it had been the day before. The soulbond should not be deteriorating this quickly; it should not feel as if Harry was dying on him. Something was dreadfully wrong and now only a handful of wards stood between himself, Harry, and one soon to be dead Severus Snape.

"Break down the wards," Tom hissed, a red tint bleeding into his eyes as his anger rose.

Oh yes, if he had things his way, Severus Snape would not live out the night.

… … … … …

Severus felt the wards he had hastily constructed around the house shiver and begin to buckle, he knew that it wouldn't be long before Voldemort made his way in. Looking at the tossing form on the bed, Severus gripped his wand tighter and had to admit that there wasn't much he could do. If Harry hadn't been in such a bad way they could have tried to make a run for it, but there was no way he'd be able to get them outside the wards before Voldemort was upon them. He could possibly use the hardened tear that Harry had shed, except for the first day he had used the tear to fuel the now breaking wards and had discovered that as Harry's strength ebbed so did the power residing in the tear. It could possibly kill Harry if he used the power still remaining in the tear. There was nothing else for it, they would have to stay and face Voldemort when he broke through, but Severus vowed not to go out without some sort of fight. The wards broke.

… … … … …

The breaking of the wards pulled Harry back into a semi-lucid consciousness and he felt the bond between himself and Tom tauten and strengthen. Just from the close proximity of both his bondmates, Harry could feel some of his health returning. That didn't help quell his anxiety though, he knew what Tom would do once he got a hold of Severus. Deciding that his best chance of having both his soulmates coming out of this alive would be to come between them at the last second, Harry lay quietly and conserved his strength so that he could act when Tom entered the room. He didn't have long to wait.

"_Crucio!_" Harry would know Tom's voice anywhere and Severus' pained gasp let him know the curse had hit the mark.

Harry prepared himself to move, but Tom let up on the curse after only a moment.

"Hold him!" Tom's voice was a low hiss as he commanded the Death Eaters he had brought with him.

A slight scuffle told Harry that Tom's orders were being obeyed without hesitation and Tom began to speak again, "you're going do die Severus, no one takes Harry away from me, but your death will be pleasantly slow."

Harry knew that he had to act then, knew that if he didn't act now then he would have no chance of saving Severus and still have the potions master be whole in body, mind, and spirit. With the strength of will that had first seen him put into Gryffindor, Harry forced his laden muscles to work as he clumsily threw himself off the bed and between Severus and Tom.

"_Sectumsempra!_" Tom had shouted the spell just as Harry leapt, and the curse flew true with no chance of recall.

Pain burst through Harry and for a brief instant he could feel the warmth of blood running down his chest before his skin seemed to go numb.

"_Harry!_" Two anguish filled voices rang out simultaneous and two men fell to their knees at Harry's side, the Death Eaters too stunned to keep hold on their prisoner.

"Why Harry?" Tom's voice almost cracked, "Why throw yourself in front of this worthless bastard?"

Harry wasn't sure when he had closed his eyes, but now he forced them open, "because I lied. Severus is also my soulmate. If he dies, I die, and so do you. I was angry with him when I came to you, but I know now that I wouldn't give up either of you for the world. I live for both of you, I love both of you."

Harry allowed his eyes to close again so that he could savor the thought of being in both Tom and Severus' arms at the same time, he doubted it would be something he would feel again anytime soon, but he would work on making it happen. They had to accept each other or they were all doomed.

"Damn you to hell!" Tom screamed at Severus suddenly, the noise jarring Harry from his lethargic enjoyment, "Harry is mine, was supposed to be all mine, and now I have to share him with you or lose him. Well I won't lose him, but don't think I'm going to gladly welcome you into our lives either."

"You think I'm happy with this either!" Severus screamed right back, secure in the knowledge that Tom wouldn't hurt him for the risk of hurting Harry, "I finally found my soulmates, someone to love and be loved back by and now you're trying to keep him from me. He was sick, dying, I couldn't leave him with you. He was dying there with you."

"And that's my fault?" Harry could just hear the soft footsteps of the Death Eaters as the snuck away, "If anything it's your fault for driving him away. You were the reason he was getting sick. I would never do anything to harm Harry, never!"

Harry didn't bother to open his eyes this time as he interrupted what appeared to be heading into a long fight, "I think I'm going to pass out now. If I die, make sure Lucius knows to bury me next to my parents because neither of you will be alive to do it and I'll be damned if my rotting body rests near either of yours for the rest of eternity."

Predictably, Harry's interruption didn't stop the squabbling for long, but instead set off a new round of argument as he was tenderly lifted up into the air by Tom, leaving Severus to hover worriedly over him. Sighing, Harry vowed that if he lived to make it to next Christmas that he would get a hold of some more mistletoe and lock those two together somewhere until they kissed. That just left him with the trouble of keeping both Severus and Tom from trying to kill each other until then. It was going to be a long year.

* * *

Posted On: January 28, 2006


	7. Epilogue

Here's the end of A Holiday to Remember, I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it—torturing Harry is just so much fun, though there were times I was tempted to torture him a little too much.

Little bit of language in this chapter too.

_ShadeDancer_

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, don't sue.

Epilogue

Humming a melancholy tune softly, Harry put the finishing touches on the spell he was using to mutate the natural enchantments of the sprig of wizarding mistletoe he had gotten just that morning. If everything went according to plan, Severus and Tom would be caught within a magical field that they wouldn't be able to break out of until they kissed each other. He could already imagine all the cursing and hexes that would fly upon this revelation, but he couldn't feel sorry for putting them through this after all they had put him through this past year.

In the beginning they had tried to spend their nights with him in rotation, but the strain upon the bond hadn't eased enough for this to be feasible and so Harry had spent many nights sleeping between two very possessive men. It had gotten very frustrating for one of his bondmates to start something only to suddenly stop and growl at the realization that there was a third person in the bed. The way things had been going, Harry had been extremely shocked when they had discovered that he had somehow gotten pregnant. By the time his birthday had rolled around, Harry had been pregnant and easily irritable, so matters hadn't been helped when Severus and Tom had both tried to outdo each other with their gifts. It had gotten so bad that Tom had actually ordered Severus locked away in the dungeon so that he couldn't do any more shopping. Harry had been pissed when he had found out.

_Flashback_

"_Tom," Harry drew the Dark Lord's attention to him with ease, "have you seen Severus? He was supposed to be making me a potion to help with the backpains."_

_Tom actually had the audacity to lie and say that he hadn't seen Severus all day. It might have worked if he had been saying it to anyone other than Harry._

"_Tom, where is Severus?" Harry demanded, his crankiness from his pregnancy causing his magic to flare out in a spectacular display._

"_Alright, alright," Tom muttered in a sulky, disgruntled tone, "he's in the dungeons."_

"_Doing what?" Harry's tone had become dangerous._

"_Sitting in a cell."_ _Tom was reluctant to answer, but didn't dare not tell Harry the truth._

"_TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE," Harry shouted loud enough for everyone in the mansion to hear, "you had better get him out of there right this second."_

_It hadn't even taken five minutes before Severus was standing in Tom's study, the two men once again yelling and fighting over Harry. Harry was fed up with it all and stomped from the room, walked directly to the floo, and allowed the flames to whisk him away to the Malfoy ancestral home. It took both Tom and Severus two days to gather up enough courage to go after Harry with a suitable apology ready. Those two days had been hell on Harry, the pregnancy making it all worse as it played havoc with both the soulbonds and his emotions, and Severus and Tom had walked in on Harry crying in Draco's arms about not being able to stay away from them for even two days without getting sick; in between sobs Harry continued to curse the two men for their stupidity. _

_Tom and Severus had immediately forgotten their quarrel at seeing Harry in such distress and had cradled him between them both as they begged for forgiveness. Harry had caved, relaxing into the security of their embrace, and forgave them because it was easier than continuing to make himself sick by denying the contact the bond desired. He hadn't protested when they had taken him home and lay him in bed between the two of them._

_End Flashback_

For about a week Tom and Severus had tiptoed around Harry, even to the point of being civil to each other, but their individual personalities hadn't been able to handle the unspoken truce for long and they had been back at each others throats in no time. Thankfully, most of it had been minor squabbles because Harry hadn't been above running away to Draco's house even though he knew the strain it put on him and his pregnancy to be away from Tom and Severus. He chose Draco's house because both men knew Draco was his silver and it made them extremely jealous to find him wrapped up in Draco's arms for comfort. They probably would have killed Draco months ago if they thought they could get away with it without raising Harry's ire.

Towards the end of his pregnancy, Harry had almost hoped the two had finally begun to reconcile their differences until he discovered that they had been saving their fights for when he was out of earshot. He had dissolved into hysterical laughter after one visit to the medi-witch when he had come upon Tom and Severus fighting over who was the father of his child, he didn't bother to tell them that he was pregnant with each of their child after witnessing that. That little fight had been nothing compared to the one they had on October 31, the day he went into labor.

_Flashback_

_Harry lay panting on the bed in one of St. Mungo's delivery rooms while Tom and Severus hovered over him worriedly. For the most part, Harry was ignoring them as his mind raced over the momentous event that was about to happen even as he was trying to ignore the unwelcome feeling of his privates having been transfigured into that of a females for the duration of the birth. He wasn't quite sure who the masochistic male was who had come up with this spell and instituted it as safe-birth practice for men, but right now he would love to kill that man—he would have rather just been cut open so that this whole affair would be over and done with._

"_It'll be alright Harry," Tom soothed, "it'll be all over soon and then you'll be holding our child in your arms."_

"_Who says it's your child?" Severus huffed as his hand gently smoothed back Harry's bangs._

"_I know it's my child," Tom was acting all regal, "I am the Dark Lord and Ruler of the Wizarding World, therefore I have to be the father."_

"_Without Harry you wouldn't be the Ruler of the Wizarding World, you'd still be getting yourself off by torturing others!"_

_The two men had continued to argue over who was the father and what the child was going to be named even after Harry's attending medi-witch had forcefully banned them from the delivery room so that she could attend to Harry in peace. Even when Harry began screaming in agony from birth pains they hadn't been allowed back in, but Harry could still hear them out in the hallway._

"_Damn you both," Harry found himself screaming as another contraction ripped through him, "I'll never let either of you touch me ever again. You hear me! Never again. You can go fuck yourselves, or better yet, fuck each other because you'll never fuck me ever again!"_

_Predictably the two men turned on each other. _

"_You hear that!" Tom shouted at Severus, "this is all your fault. If you hadn't gotten him pregnant…!"_

"_My fault?"_ _Severus spluttered, "me get him pregnant? Who was it who was saying that he had to be the father because he's the Dark Lord. This is all your fault. I would never put Harry in such pain."_

_Harry was about to ask the medi-witch to go curse both his soulmates into silence or, better yet, oblivion, when a giant contraction seized him and he felt as if he was being ripped apart. At that moment no force on Earth could have kept Severus and Tom from the delivery room and they both charged in with wands drawn, ready to torture and kill whoever was hurting their Harry._

"_Both of you are dead when this is all over," Harry panted as he followed the patient instructions of the medi-witch, "I'm going to kill you both with my bare hands!"_

_A lust wail split the sudden silence that had fallen when Tom and Severus stopped arguing, followed shortly by a second as the first child's sibling easily slipped out in the wake of her brother._

"_Congratulations Mr. Potter," the medi-witch efficiently wrapped the newborns up and laid them beside Harry before flicking her wand to take care of the afterbirth, "a boy sired by one Severus Snape and a girl fathered by one Tom Riddle. Have you decided on names yet?"_

_For once in what seemed to be an eternity both Tom and Severus were stunned into silence and Harry took advantage of this._

"_Yes, Matthew Emrys Potter and Ravyn Ciara Potter," Harry announced tiredly, taking hollow pleasure in denying his soulmates the right of having their child bear their surnames._

_End Flashback_

Harry had stopped any protests that might have occurred by silencing both men and having them removed from the ward. Since then things had been a bit strained and Harry had spent most of his days and nights with his children, but he hadn't forgotten his plan to get his soulmates to recognize their own bond and the Holiday season had raised his spirits considerably. Making one last adjustment to the positioning of the mistletoe, Harry turned and made his way back to the nursery that had become his refuge during the past few months. There he gazed upon the peaceful forms of his children lying curled up side-by-side in their crib. A soft smile flitted across Harry's face as he settled himself in the rocking chair next to the crib where he had past most of his nights since his babies' birth.

"I'm going to get your daddies together if it's the last thing I do," he promised his children and himself, "because if I don't, I don't know how much longer I can withstand the strain."

… … … … …

Loud curses woke Harry from his fitful doze and caused the babies to start crying. Lifting first his daughter and then his son from their crib, Harry calmed them with touches and soft words before heading towards the scene of the disturbance. There he found exactly what he had expected to find, Severus and Tom trapped within a small field that allowed them just enough room to keep from touching each other if they stood against the walls of the barrier. Thankfully neither man had shot off any truly harmful curse because of their close proximity. Tom saw Harry first.

"Let us out of here, Harry," he demanded, voice so low and dangerous with threat that it nearly broke Harry's heart and shattered the tenuous thread he was holding onto to keep himself going.

"I can't do that," the pain in his voice was clear for all too hear, "I can't keep letting the both of you destroy me like this. Besides, I sealed the barrier with mistletoe and you both know the one thing that will break the spell."

"Harry—" Severus began.

"No," Harry cut him off, "don't even say anything. I have laid down the terms and you will have to meet them if you want your freedom. Because of you two I am dying, you are pulling me apart and not even my babies can hold me together enough. I am taking the children and going to Draco's for Christmas, I hope you two will make it."

Without a backwards glance, Harry walked down the hallway in the opposite direction and headed for the floo, praying that the unnatural silence behind him boded well.

… … … … …

It had taken Severus and Tom hours to gather up enough courage to even look at each other after Harry had left, and even then the despairing visage of their love rose between them to haunt their thoughts; arguing had been out of the question. Slowly, pulled onward by a force more powerful than either of them combined, Severus and Tom leaned in to brush their lips together. The kiss was warm and hesitatingly tender as both men forgot themselves in that instant, forgot to try and dominate the other as their individual personalities demanded. It was by no means and end to the quarreling, but a beginning that would allow them to share the one that meant the most to both of them. They pulled back as gold shimmers sparkled in the air around them, praying that they weren't too late to make sure Harry's Christmas was magical.

* * *

Posted On: February 1, 2006


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